The Immortal Hokage & The Last Air Bender
by Freedom Guard
Summary: Here's another creation, Naruto is called by Avatar Roku after his accomplishments to aid the young Avatar to master the four elements. Canon Avatar pairings with Naruto paired with possible OCs
1. Chapter 1

The Immortal Hokage & The Last Air Bender

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto or Avatar so don't bother me about it.

Prologue…

( ): Thoughts

…

In Konoha…

The village of the Hidden Leaf had seen a lot of things happen in a very short span of time, it had weathered much and now it was standing all. The village of the Land of Fire now had new hope and the people were able to enjoy a new period of peace and prosperity while still making sure to keep up in protecting the balance between the Five Elemental Countries. The Shinobi Alliance had lost many of it's members, but they had won the war with Uchiha Madara and Sasuke Uchiha. The war had been led by the Five Kages, who had survived the battle though it had been with the aid of one of the most recognized heroes of the village of Konoha.

Who ironically was once the object of hatred and fear due to being a Jinchuuriki for the majority of his life, Naruto Uzumaki who had once been the class clown and the object of hidden scorn and hatred was now considered the savior and hero of the village after his battles with Akatsuki and with Pain when the ninja attacked the village. When he and the last of the Jinchuuriki, Killer Bee had fought together to face off with the leader of Akatsuki and to ensure the defeat of the man's plans, it was a battle of titanic proportions and had literally been a battle that shook the very foundations of the world.

It was here that Naruto used the power bestowed on him by Sasuke's brother Itachi to defeat his former friend. It was enough to ensure that while he would survive, he would no longer be a threat to the world as his Sharingan, despite the implants of his brother's eyes by the maniac Uchiha head was completely deactivated, rendering him blind to the world in every sense of the word. This had finally put an end to Madara's plans and his eventual death at the hands of the two Jinchuuriki had been assured. There had been some dark moments as both were pushed their absolute limits and then some, but it was over and Madara, finally died and was no longer a threat to the freedom of the world

After the battle, all five villages wanted Sasuke punished for his crimes, but Naruto decided to speak and not kill Sasuke, even though others disagreed, he reminded them that he had been the one to stop his former friend and therefore it was up to him how he would be dealt with. Sasuke raged and insulted Naruto, calling him nothing more than scum, but Naruto was no longer easily goaded and while still feeling a measure of friendship to Sasuke, he saw that the friend he once had was gone. But without the Sharingan and his ability to see, Naruto decided to exile Sasuke in a prison that would ensure that he would no longer be a threat to anyone, but he was to be provided humane treatment, food, water, and medicine, even if he refused. The former Uchiha spat at that, but even in his hatred, he knew that nothing would change things, his desire to use his hatred on the world was destroyed and he now was in darkness forever.

After that, Tsunade served as Hokage for three more years until she relinquished her position to Naruto. But before she left the position of Hokage, she decided to reveal Naruto's true heritage to the village. Upon hearing of Naruto's parentage and the real events surrounding the deaths of the Fourth Hokage and his wife, the villagers who had before treated Naruto with hatred, resentment, and contempt found themselves horrified at how they had treated Naruto when he was a child and sought to ask for his forgiveness for their actions. The others who were his friends were surprised, even more so were the other Jonin apart from Kakashi who had long since known of Naruto's true parentage.

…

When he took the rank of Hokage at age nineteen, the youngest Konoha ninja on record to ever ascend that rank since his father Minato, Naruto assembled the villagers and began to point out those who had always looked down on him…and forgave them, much to their shock. He then told them that after all he had been through, he understood how they felt now and why they resented him so much. But he showed that he still saw them as people he would protect and he had never allowed the harshness and difficulty of his life to bring him down and he strived to show that he was more than what he seemed to them.

And now he had succeeded, though he admitted that even though he had achieved his lifelong dream and had brought peace to the lands, he was still a bit unsure about being Hokage as he was not as gifted as the others before him, namely his father. He tearfully wished that his parents were here to see their son become Hokage and that was enough to make people nod in agreement and they supported him.

He then asked that several people step forward when called, he called Kakashi, Iruka, Yamato, Sai Tsunade, much to the Sannin's surprise, and Shizune. He told them that they were going to be the new members of the Council as he trusted them all with his own life. This surprised many, including the ones in question, but they accepted it even though Tsunade was not looking forward to looking at papers once more. Naruto however assured her that she was not going to be working alone this time around.

Naruto vowed to do everything he can to make the Will of Fire burn for all, and the generations that were soon to come into this world. He then asked for the support of the people to achieve that goal together, and that was something that made every member of the village smile, along with those who Naruto considered as his life long friends. When he became Hokage, he was told that as the last descendant of the Uzumaki Clan, he had a choice to rebuild the clan and give rise to it once more by those who were well versed in the laws of the land. The law stated that as a legitimate heir to a clan that was still alive after so many years, he had that choice to marry and help rebuild the clan from scratch.

He consulted his new councilors on that suggestion and they agreed that it had merit, but it was his decision to do so as the legitimate heir and Hokage of the village. He was a bit worried about it and decided to think it over carefully as he wanted to make a good marriage and not one of mere law or convenience. He had no idea that he was going to be in for more than he bargained for as the news of the situation filtered through Konoha itself, and eventually the rest of the world. It was not long before he was greeted by a wave of letters from various women who wished to aid in the rebuilding of his clan.

There were letters from ninja and civilians alike from the Land of Fire and also from other lands and nations as well. He was surprised to find several names from other lands that he recognized.

One was from the Land of Demons, from Head Priestess Shion, there she reminded him that she still needed his help to give her powers to a new Priestess. The other was from the Land of Snow/Spring as Koyuki was happy to see him grow up to be the man she hoped he would be, and now she wanted to see just how much he had grown up. The next was from the Land of Vegetables as Haruna wanted to see how he had grown up as well, and she also wanted to thank him for all he had done to change her as a better person. The next was from the Land of Birds as Toki herself expressed great happiness for him and wished to help him in running his village and become a good man in more ways than one. The one that surprised him the most was a letter from Temari of all people.

He had not expected that of all things, but Temari replied that this was requested by the Council in Suna and even Gaara supported the idea of her being married to him. Besides, Temari had to admit that she had found him to be a good looking man, and a trust worthy one…plus he was the only male that her two male siblings respected and approved of as a potential boyfriend or in this case, husband..

It was not just from other nations and Lands that the letters came from, it was in the Land of Fire as well, he received a letter from Amaru who had become one of the most recognized doctors and surgeons in the land, she wanted to thank him for all he had done for her in her darkest hour and to help heal him in any way that she could. There was also a letter from Hinata herself, asking if he would not mind if she was able to show the full extent of how she loved him for as long as she could remember.

He was still trying to get used to all the attention and got the chance to talk with Sakura about it as she could be able to help him figure out what to do with this kind of situation, and after some time, the Kunoichi told her blonde friend and Hokage that it would be better if he got to have some time with them all to see if he should accept them into the clan when it was time for him to start with rebuilding the clan he belonged to. He however decided to ask if she was willing to be among them. That had been a tense moment as Naruto tried to explain that he loved Sakura for years and wished to at least know if there was a chance that she could love him back.

To his surprise, she agreed and after the women in question arrived, it was going to be a long series of days spent getting to know one another and developing levels of trust and respect between the women. Naruto himself did his best to try and learn as much from them as he could while developing bonds with them as well. It was not long, rather four to ten months before Naruto finally agreed to the idea of being the head of the reborn Uzumaki Clan, It was one heck of a wedding and Naruto wondered just how his parents and his godfather would react to this if they were still very much alive today. No doubt his godfather would have wanted him to spill the beans about the wedding night he was going to have and his mother would warn him not to be too rough with the women in his life now and she might wonder if he could handle being with this many females. He didn't even want to guess how his father would have taken it as well, but he had no doubt his father would have been laughing a bit at his expense somewhat

…

But all that was in the past now, Naruto served as Hokage for over forty years and rose to be recognized as a Hokage with few equal, rivaling his father and even the other Hokage before him. In his reign, it was the one where while there had been conflict between different ninja and civilian factions; there had been peace and prosperity as well as cooperation and unity in the land.

Despite already reaching the age of fifty nine, Naruto still retained his young healthy look and vitality, and unlike the Sannin Tsunade, there was no age and body manipulation involved as Naruto's Uzumaki heritage made itself known. As he was gifted by his clan with great levels of vitality and stamina, he was able to live for a much longer time than others and also have a level of health that was remarkable and give him energy and chakra that was beyond the norm, something that everyone was now aware of. However, the Kyuubi's now purified chakra added to that by giving him remarkable physical abilities and peek health as well as healing rates. This made him nigh immortal in some cases, though he was still liable to die of old age or very fatal wounds.

All this made him carry the title of the Immortal Orange Hokage, something that was not going to fade away no matter what he said about it. Of course, for every benefit, there was a trade off…

Naruto had aged slower than the others in his family and his friends, so when they would pass on, he would still linger. This was something that was difficult on the blonde Sannin and Hokage for the many years that he reigned though he always kept his mind sharp and lived life with every fiber of his being so he had no regrets being in this life.

His clan had grown, he had a large number of children, and grand children, and was now one of the most recognized clans in the rebuilt village of Konoha, something that sent in a good measure of pride in the Hokage. And when the time came, he finally decided to pass on the title of Hokage to his one apprentice who had proven himself to be a great man and a great warrior of the village, and he knew that his apprentice's grandfather, father, and uncle would be proud.

As for him, the time had come to pass the torch on to the next generation, or in his case, the new generation to come. It was high time that another would rise to take the rank of Kage as he knew that his time had come, since despite his still youthful appearance he was already reaching retirement age and it would be wrong for him to take all the glory for himself, he was not that kind of person to do such things or think in such fashions.

…

In the Hokage Tower…

Konohamaru looked at Naruto as the Hokage handed him the symbolic hat that denoted the rank of Kage. The now Jonin ranked grandson of Hiruzen Sarutobi looked at the hat and then to his former teacher with sad eyes.

"Are you sure about this boss?"

"Why are you asking me that question? You've wanted to be Hokage yourself right? And you've worked hard to be the right man for the job Konohamaru."

"But still, you're the Immortal Orange Hokage Boss, there's no way I can ever surpass you."

Naruto sternly replied.

"Don't think like that, being Hokage is not about being famous or recognized all the time Konohamaru, you have a duty and a responsibility towards the village of Konoha, as well as your family. Keep that and the Will of Fire in your mind always. Besides, it's your time to make your own legacy."

The Jonin looked at the man he had admired since the day they met and learned the important lesson of working hard to achieve one's dream. He smiled and took the hat and replied.

"I accept the position of Hokage, Hokage-sama."

Naruto smirked and replied.

"Good, and it's about time to used that title."

It was then that another figure came who Naruto easily recognized even with the looks of old age on him. Ebisu was still the same as before but had served well as a special trainer for many promising ninja in the village like before. Naruto knew that to be true as a number of his children had been Ebisu's students after all. The Jonin spoke then to Naruto with great respect in his voice as he did so.

"I will do my best to help Konohamaru-san to achieve his dream and make a legacy he can be proud of Hokage-sama."

"I have no doubt that you will. Now then, we have much to prepare, but for now, I need to take some time alone for myself."

…

Naruto headed to the new Uzumaki estate, the place was deserted for today as his family had been very busy on their daily routines in the village as well as their duties abroad and all of them were now bunking down for the night. He made his way to the graveyard there and looked at the gravestones. He felt some sadness as he looked at them all, they had the names of the women he had been married to as they had now passed on into the afterlife, this was one of the reasons why he had some desire to pass on the mantle of leadership.

He was hardly a coward, but he wanted to take some time for himself, he had done so much and he had so many memories that he wanted to take a break from them all, just for a bit. As he looked at each gravestone, he gently recalled all of the memories he had with the women he had fallen in love with and married. He looked at Sakura's gravestone, Temari's gravestone, and then Hinata's, then Amaru's, Shion's own gravestone, Koyuki's, Toki',s and Haruna's. As he looked at them he touched each stone gently, running his hands on their names and remembering all the good times and bad times, as well as the…pleasurable times.

Each woman brought a facet of happiness in his life and it was something that he was going remember well and keep close to him at all times. Raising his children had been a good thing for him and them as well and while there were ups and downs in those times, he would never trade those moments for all the ryo in the world.

Many of his children would up as ninjas of great skill though others took the role of Daimyo, and Priests as well as Doctors, this made the Uzumaki Clan become famous once more and in some ways, some considered the to be almost as capable as the famed Senju Clan of the past though they were also gifted in their Sealing Jutsu as Naruto inherited from his mother's sealed records and those of his father's.

He inherited his father's signature Kunai and had a pair of swords specially made for him by Koyuki's order and had a coat similar to his old one made as well. And he had no doubt that his clan's new generation was going to make their marks in their world soon. He wished them all the best for what they were going to do in the future. He did so by passing the Toad Summoning Contract to his eldest son Minato who was his first born son with Sakura and also to Ryu who was his first born son with Hinata, he had no doubt that both his eldest sons, who he would also make as the new dual clan heads of their family would be good leaders.

It was then that he felt something stir in the wind and he quickly turned and drew out a kunai and found himself facing someone who he didn't recognize as there were shadows hiding his or her appearance from sight.

"Who are you?"

"So…you are the Immortal Orange Hokage, the head of the newly rebuilt Uzumaki Clan."

Naruto's eyes narrowed as he looked at the being and replied once more.

"I don't know who you are, but unless you start talking, I am going to assume you are a threat and I am going to deal with you right now!"

The figure chuckled and replied.

"Now that is hardly the way to speak to one of your own young man, though I have to admit, you so resemble your mother in nature and attitude I should not be surprised."

Naruto's anger stopped cold as he looked at the figure, it was then that he noted some sort of glow around the figure who then revealed himself…or rather herself. The figure was of a woman who seemed to have a regal bearing and wore an elaborate but battle ready kimono and had to seal tags on her hair. She was beautiful and carried herself with a regal and powerful bearing as well. She also radiated the aura of a ninja like him, though hers was far different, yet familiar at the very same time.

He quickly recognized her well enough, after all, his mother Kushina had talked about her and even showed her an image of the woman in question.

"Y-You're Mito Uzumaki! The first Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi….and…"

Mito smiled and finished for the flabbergasted blonde Hokage.

"Wife of the First Hokage…and Great Grand Aunt of your mother Kushina, it is a pleasure to finally meet my dear nephew in person….even though I'm not exactly alive to begin with."

Naruto had one fear that lingered on despite his age and experience and that was the fear of ghosts or the supernatural…ironic for a man who had faced so many threats at so young an age when he was still a Genin.

"Y-Y-You're a ghost?"

"Not exactly, it's true that I am dead, but I am not bound here to the world of the living like ghosts do. I came here to speak to you in person."

"About what?"

"About your desire to stand down as Hokage, or rather the feeling you have in you for some time. You've accomplished so much in your time, you have accomplished your dreams and you have managed to bring the dreams of your godfather to reality. Now…you feel lost, as if you are alive without direction, or am I wrong young one?"

Naruto remained silent and then replied.

"Yeah, I've accomplished my dream of being Hokage, brought the dream of peace of the Pervy Sage, and even have such a family now. But I do feel kind of empty, it's not bad, but it is there still."

"That is to be expected, you have accomplished your destiny after all and you have lived your life fully, I guess you can call what you are feeling a crisis of purpose. It happens to those who have accomplished much in their lives, they had done so many things that they have developed a desire to do more good things. In other words, you're bored."

"But that's strange isn't it? I mean, I've been bored before, but I never felt bored like this before."

"True, but it is there nonetheless, you craved challenges all your life Naruto, you strived to succeed in everything to reach your dreams. But now that you've done it all and you've accomplished them, you feel as if there is nothing left for you. Normally this would not be a problem, but I believe that you feel this way since there are no longer reasons for you to grow stronger, and with the fact that you are still young due to the clan's vitality and stamina and the Kyuubi's now purified chakra in you."

Naruto nodded at that as Mito did make sense, with no more threats to push him to his limits, and his accomplishment of his dreams, there was some level of emptiness in him. It was not that he regretted anything and everything that he had done in his life, he would never change what he had done even if he had the chance to do so…but still, the emptiness he felt was there, adding the fact that he was something of an Immortal due to his clan's gifts of vitality and stamina, time seemed to move so slowly to him, that made him feel as if he was not going to grow up anymore.

Mito then smiled.

"However, I have something of a proposal, your destiny here in this world, your duty here is over, and you have so much potential left to use. So how about aiding another would be hero to save his own world from the flames of war and tyranny?"

Naruto was confused by that and made that fairly obvious to Mito.

"What do you mean by that?"

The Kunoichi smiled and turned as another figure appeared, unlike his Great Aunt, this one ghost was dressed quite differently, he wore robes that were red and had black lining. He had arm bands made of some blue fabric. He had a long beard of white as well as white hair and had some sort of crown thereon his head. His face was showing a good deal of old age and had glowing blue-white eyes, further telling the blonde Shinobi that this spirit was not to be trifled with when enraged. Naruto then spoke to the new arrival.

"And you are?"

"I am Avatar Roku, formerly of the Fire Nation, I have some things to discuss with you Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki."

…

After a two hour discussion between the head of the Uzumaki Clan and the two spirits, Naruto sat down and looked at both Roku and Mito and spoke seriously.

"So let me see if I get this all right…there's another world where there are the four groups of Benders that Avatar Roku is part of. The first is the Water Tribes, The Air Nomads, The Earth Kingdom, and the Fire Nation. And for the past generations, there is one being known as the Avatar who can command the four elements to keep the peace between the four and maintain the balance of the world."

The two nodded as Naruto continued summarizing everything he learned thus far.

"But then the Fire Nation started a war of conquest to control the world and defeat all the other Benders. Their leader betrayed you Avatar Roku even though you and him were friends and you spared his life before, and afterwards, he hunted down the Air Nomads since the new Avatar was to be born among them. He then directed his war with the Water Tribes and the Earth Kingdom and waged war with them, but spent a large portion of his life hunting down the Avatar."

"And now after a hundred years since the war started, the new Avatar who incidentally is the last of the Air Nomads was found by a pair of Water Tribesmen and now he has to learn all the elements and bend them in order to defeat the Fire Lord before he uses this Sozin's Comet to conquer all the lands, did I get it all right?"

Roku nodded.

"Yes, that is the current situation in my world Naruto Uzumaki."

"Okay…so now we get to the part on why is it you are asking for my help. Correct me if I am wrong but you and the other previous Avatars can help him right?"

"That is true, but time is against us in our world, he has but a few months in order to master the four elements, and with the Fire Nation's war spreading out day by day, Aang's time to learn Fire Bending, Water Bending, and Earth Bending is limited. He will need all the help he can get in order to be alive long enough to learn all of these before the final phase of the invasion. And we cannot intervene directly, we can only support him."

"Another reason is that while he is capable, he is still a young boy who has to deal with the burden of being the savior of the world. Even though he will find friends and allies, he will still face a hard life and he will feel the weight of such a responsibility to the world. Unlike the other Avatars, including myself who have grown used to such responsibility, he has not and needs guidance. You have carried many burdens all your life and you have grown strong and never lost yourself in them. I have seen your life through the help of your Aunt and I am sure that you can truly help the new Avatar in handling some of these hurdles that he will soon face in his life."

Naruto thought it over carefully, he had to admit that Roku did have a point, granted he was not like this Avatar, but he carried many burdens, one of the most serious was being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, and many more when he got older, if he could help someone with saving his world, at least he was going to do something that was utterly worthwhile. Besides he was actually curious as to what this new Avatar was capable of.

"Okay then I suppose that I can help if it is really that bad there in your world Roku-san, but I do have one concern; can I use my Jutsu in your world? Because I won't be of much help if I have no way to use any of my Jutsu, I can fight well, have my Kenjutsu skills, and all the training I have since I was a child and a ninja. But it would not do well for me not to have my Jutsu arsenal that can be very critical."

The previous Avatar nodded at that and replied.

"I understand your concerns, rest assured that you can indeed perform your Jutsu and summon your Toad allies as well in battle. As for your resident, you have little to fear from it as you have defeated it in combat and it's power is now yours."

"All right then, so when are we supposed to go to your world Roku-san?"

The two spirits smiled, seeing as Naruto was willing to help the Avatar in this hour, Mito then replied to that.

"After you leave Konoha, head for the Valley of The End, there you're path shall open. I have no doubt that you will be a good ally to the Avatar in your travels with him."

Naruto smirked at that and replied.

"That remains to be seen, I will see you all later."

Avatar Roku nodded and smiled slightly, he saw such power and strength in this young man, he hoped that his decision to call for the aid of an outsider would be the key to helping Aang in more than just the art of Bending. When he wandered the world of spirits and met Mito, she told him of her family line and the strongest of the Uzumaki Clan to date. It was there that he decided to meet Naruto to ask for his aid in helping Aang, and now it seemed that Aang will gain a worthy ally.

As they faded away, Naruto thought about what he had just agreed to…he was going into another world and aid this…Avatar in saving this world of his from the tyrannical hands of this Fire Nation. It would have sounded weird but now that he had met Roku and his Aunt, then it was going to be a very interesting trip in his mind. Besides, it was high time he put his skills to good use in a battle and taking part in stopping a war from consuming a world sounded like a good test of his abilities. The fact that he was going to help people further added fuel to his decision to help this Aang to master the Elements and face off with the Fire Nation once and for all.

With that in mind, he made his way into the compound and rested for the night, knowing that tomorrow was going to be a very long discussion with his family.

…

The next day…

At the gates of Konoha, a large group gathered, in fact it was actually the entire village who was there at the gates, young and old alike, civilian and ninja, after all, one of their own was about to leave. Many watched as Naruto, now fully dressed, armed, and ready to go on his own personal sojourn was there before them all. He had also bidden farewell to his old Council and they wished him all the best though he prayed to Tsunade and Shizune as they had passed away already. He missed his adopted grandmother and hoped that she was finally able to be happy with her loved ones….even Jiraiya in heaven.

In the past, many villagers would have loved to see the sight of Naruto leaving their village, all because of their anger and resentment for him being the Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi. They would have held a celebration all over the village as privately as they could now that the Demon Fox was no longer in their village. The reminder of all the lives lost that night so many years ago, and the death of the beloved Fourth Hokage and his wife, along with so many sons, grandsons, daughters, granddaughters, sisters, brothers, and parents.

But that was then, now after Naruto long and prosperous reign as the Immortal Orange Hokage, the atmosphere was not of jubilation, but of sadness. Many of the village elders were those who had been there during the Invasion of Pain, they all remembered how the dead leader of Akatsuki had killed so many of their people and ruined the village and it was Naruto who defeated him as well as defeating Madara and Sasuke in the Fourth Shinobi War. They were saddened by the fact that he was about to leave the village forever, some asked if he was going to become a Missing Ninja, and he replied that he was not, merely going to tour the world before finally meeting his end.

This was not easy for them and neither was it for Naruto but after a while he bid them all goodbye and told the younger ninjas there who had been those who he had seen grow up into fine people that the future was in their hands now and he wished them to keep the Will of Fire burning for as long as they were able to do so. Many of them vowed to their former Hokage that they would keep that promise to him no matter what happened.

He sensed that they meant it and as soon as he was ready, dressed in his own long coat that he had worn in his battle with Pain, his swords on his back, his regular and special kunai with him, as well as his spare clothes, scrolls, shuriken, and other things he might need in this new task before him, he bid them all farewell. As he did so, Naruto looked at the rebuilt village once more, the people there in the gate and he saw the village in the past and saw all of his friends who had passed away, he knew that they were long gone, but he saw them waving at him goodbye along with the people he had cared for in his younger days.

He gave them all one final waves and soon left.

He traveled to the rest of the lands that he felt that he could visit with the time given to him, namely the village of Suna, then the village where Amaru once lived, then the Land of Snow/Spring, the Land of Vegetables, the Land of Demons, and The Land of Birds. Each place he visited in many occasions and all held good memories for him and he vowed never to forget the things he had done in each of these locations.

Once he was done, me made his way to the Valley of The End, the place had been changed by the battle between him and Sasuke all those years ago, and he still remembered just what had happened in the valley so long ago. He looked at the statue of Madara and glared darkly at the man it represented, knowing full well what the man had done to so many people, all for his own desires to rule the world and what it cost to stop him and destroy his plans for good. He then looked at the damage that happened in the valley and then directed his attention to one spot.

The very same place where he and Sasuke used both Rasengan and Chidori on one another, as he stood there in that single spot, memories came back and he sighed at them, knowing full well where they were going to lead.

"I see you've made it Naruto."

Naruto turned there was Mito smiling at him gently, she still had the same aura and power, but he could see why she was loved by the villagers of her time. The former living Kunoichi, the first Jinchuuriki of the Kyuubi, and wife of the First Hokage looked at her nephew and marveled at how much her line had grown and changed, she placed that aside for the time being as Avatar Roku finally arrived.

Naruto nodded at them and spoke.

"I am ready to go and help Aang, but I do have ask, how exactly am I going to recognize him anyway? I don't exactly have any idea on what he looks like."

Avatar Roku replied to that.

"He wears the traditional robes of the Air benders which is orange and light yellow, it is easy to recognize him now that you what he wears, he also has several arrow tattoos on his body to show his status as an Air Bender master and he carried a Glider staff as well."

Naruto smirked at that.

"He wears orange huh? I like what I'm hearing, anything else?"

The former Avatar smiled a bit and replied.

"Nothing at the moment, you best hurry; he and his companions are currently on the island of Kyoshi, named after another Avatar who was a female Earth Bender in her time. They are currently under attack by the Fire Nation, if you face them be careful not to harm their leader, one Prince Zuko."

The blonde Sannin raised an eyebrow at that and replied.

"I take there's a reason for that?"

"He has a destiny before him, undecided as of yet, no matter what happens he must not die for any reason. He is conflicted, of that you will no doubt see for yourself, but he will prove to be an asset to Aang, when that will occur, I cannot say."

Naruto sighed a bit and readied himself and that was not missed by both Mito and Roku as they summoned their respective power and soon a portal opened before the blonde ninja. Naruto turned to look at his world one more time and smiled happily at it as he knew that it was going to be in good hands. He then stepped through the portal and got ready to find this Avatar named Aang.

…

As soon as he crossed the portal and came out the other side, Naruto found himself in a forest of some sort and he was quick to smell burning wood and the sounds of combat, he had trained his senses for the past forty years of his life and he was able to sense a battle was going on before him as he moved towards the source of the conflict.

(I only arrive a mere second in this new world and already I land right in the middle of a battle…damn, I must be pretty lucky today.)

The blonde moved out and soon passed through the forest and into a village that looked like someone had seriously forgotten to keep the kids from playing flammable materials. The only thing that told him that there was a battle were the number of red and black clad soldiers with helmets and masks firing flames out of their hands and feet while using an array of weapons as well and all of them were in the process of tearing up the place.

(Fire Nation soldiers…so that's Fire Bending eh? Could be useful back home since they don't use hand seals, but sucks since there's not that much flexibility and there's no way you can shape fire for your needs.)

He then noted the females wearing the face paint, kimonos, armor, the odd but regal looking crowns, and the fans, if he didn't know any better, these ladies looked like something out of a play back home.

The blonde however managed to keep moving and looked for this guy named Aang since he was his primary responsibility and as soon as he found him, then all the better. It didn't take too long for Naruto to finally spot Aang as he was the only one wearing those kinds of colors of orange and yellow in this morass of people

Naruto looked at the young man incredulously for a moment or two and spoke his thoughts out.

"THAT'S the Avatar? He looks about as intimidating as a bunny rabbit."

Of course after learning all he could from Roku about the Avatar's abilities and skills that were still dormant in him and his ability to learn quickly, he knew not to judge by looks alone. His time as Hokage also reinforced that belief which was why he decided to focus on the more important things, like trying to keep this kid alive long enough to do his duty to save his world. He quickly made his way to the battle zone before him and deal with the Fire Nation soldiers before the entire village he had arrived in was turned into charcoal.

…

The Fire Nation soldiers closest to Naruto had no idea what hit them the very second the blonde decided to act, he took out several shuriken and stapled the fighters to the walls nearby, much to the surprise of both the soldiers and the Kyoshi Warriors who they were fighting with. They turned to see Naruto before them as the blonde placed on a pair of gloves with metal guards on the top of them and took out both swords from his back and attacked the other Fire Nation warriors.

One who was on his mount tried to run the blonde through with his spear, but the ninja was quick to react as he flipped and cut the weapon in the middle and then leaping off the mount's tail while landing two powerful kicks right into the faces of two more before they could attack him. He clashes with three more, quickly slashing and stabbing to keep them off balance before taking them down, he placed aside one of his swords and then spotted Aang apparently fighting with some rather skilled fighter who no doubt was a Fire Bender.

Naruto moved in and then heard one of the Fire Nation soldiers shouting.

"Prince Zuko! We have a new threat!"

The man that Aang was fighting reacted to that call, telling Naruto quickly that this one was Zuko. The very second he looked at the young man's scarred face and the fire in his eyes, the blonde was struck by the fact that the prince was radiating a great deal of emotion in the way he moved and fought with Aang, and in that moment, he remembered only one person who fought in some fashion like Zuko.

(Sasuke… )

Though he doubted that it was possible, the way Zuko fought and the way he acted was an exact mirror to his former friend Sasuke before he was corrupted by Orochimaru and eventually went back to being the old version of himself, and becoming the man he fought with so many years ago. He felt something stir in him, anger for the most part, but he quickly clamped down hard on it and focused on what Roku told him about Zuko and his still unknown role to play in this world. No matter how he felt about seeing someone who reminded him of his former friend, he had to keep his focus on the task at hand.

He quickly focused his chakra and then fired out a chakra chain from his arm and looped it around the waist of the Prince.

…

The sudden appearance of the chakra chain completely caught the fighting pair as Aang, and Suki spotted the thing suddenly loop around Zuko's waist. Zuko himself was shocked by what was it that had suddenly caught him by the waist, he had no time to react however as he was suddenly dragged away from Aang and then spotted the holder of the glowing chain leaping towards Aang and company and reveal himself to the group of Aang as well as the Fire Nation Prince.

The man was tall, taller than the others and wore some sort of short sleeved long coat with red as the main color and black flames on the edges, he carried a single edged sword in one hand and wore gloves with metal guards on them. He wore orange and black as well as a headband with a metal plate there and some sort of symbol that resembled a leaf of some sort. He also wore some sort of vest with metal stitched there which was like an armored vest of some sort and the same could be said for the armor he had on.

The man also had blonde hair, completely unknown in this world and had blue eyes and odd whisker marks that made him look rather different, but hardly ugly in any respect. Zuko managed to get up and go into a defensive position to face this new threat, yet he couldn't help but wonder just who this person was that came out of nowhere, and what was it he had just used on him

"Who are you?"

Naruto replied to that as he quickly placed aside his sword and quickly did a number of hand seals to summon one of his own patented Jutsu.

"Someone who's not going to let you have your way with the Avatar Prince Zuko, now then take this!"

"FUUTON! BAKURETSU NAMI!"

A massive sphere of air suddenly appeared and exploded like a wave in front of Naruto, unleashing massive winds that sent Zuko flying backwards into a nearby storage shed, Naruto quickly drew out both swords quickly, channeling his chakra into them and saw them glow with his chakra and then felt his elemental affinity take over as the swords were covered in wind as he attacked the support struts of the shed.

"FUUTON! TSUBAME TE-RU KIRITE!"

The wind flew from the sword slashes and quickly cut down the support struts and sent the front end of the shed down. Naruto knew that Zuko was going to be fine, but it would take some time for the prince to escape from the wreckage. he sheathed both swords and turned to face Aang. But before he could do so, one of the women placed her war fans next to his face in a posture that signified that she was going to attack if he tried anything that would be seen as a hostile act.

"Hey, is that really necessary?"

"Depends, who are you and how did you get here?"

Naruto shook his head and replied.

"Look, normally I wouldn't mind a conversation, but we're in the middle of a village under attack and I have to keep the Avatar here from prematurely heading off to the Spirit World since one of his previous selves asked me to."

Aang was surprised by that and looked at the man, there was no doubt that this guy was not from any place that he knew of, golden colored was nigh unheard of anywhere as far as he knew. What confused the Avatar more was the fact that he had used Air to fight Zuko, but he had neither the clothing style nor the tattoos of an Air Bender like him, and no Air Bender used Air in that fashion, let alone create glowing chains of energy and carry swords no less. But then he recalled that the man mentioned being asked to keep him alive by one of his previous selves.

Suki looked at the man who seemed to be concerned with Aang for some reason, and though he had the ability to use Air, he certainly didn't Bend like Aang did.

It was then that Katara showed up and spoke.

"Aang! We've got to leave, if we leave then Zuko and his soldiers might…"

Katara saw Naruto and then noted the flame patterns on his coat and got into a defensive Water Bending stance and spoke.

"Aang! Suki! Get away from him!"

Aang then stepped in and stopped Katara from using her Water Bending skills on the new arrival.

"Wait Katara! Stop! It's all right, he's not with the Fire Nation, he's an Air Bender like me!"

Katara gasped at that and spoke out.

"He's an Air Bender?"

Naruto got exasperated and spoke out.

"Now is not the time, let's move out of here already, I managed to pin down old Scarface earlier but he will get out and if we don't lure him away from here, I can bet he would have this placed turned into a mass of charcoal."

Katara recovered her train of thought and nodded.

"He's right Aang, If we stay here any longer, Zuko and his soldiers will torch this entire village to find us, if we leave then they will follow us and leave the villagers of Kyoshi Island alone."

Aang then replied.

"I know…but all this was my fault, If I hadn't guided us here just to have fun for a while, then no one here in Kyoshi would have been targets of the Fire Nation at all. I have to do something to make amends for what I did."

Naruto noted that at least the kid got his heart in the right place and had his act straight though he had to remind himself that neither he nor Aang were exactly young to boot. The guy was supposed to be twelve by last count but was around one hundred twelve years old, and while he looked to in his mid to late twenties, he was already pushing sixty. He then replied to that in a serious tone.

"Listen Aang, you won't be able to do anything unless you are alive to do it, get some distance and make your move once you have a chance to think clearly."

Suki then replied.

"He's right Aang, you have to get out quickly while my Warriors and me buy you time to make your move, you can't do much here if you get yourself killed."

…

Later…

Aang and the others were now currently leaving Kyoshi Island after the Avatar managed to use the massive Unagi to take out the flames made by Zuko's soldiers earlier. It had been a risky gamble and had thankfully paid off with the salvation of the people of Kyoshi Island. Sokka had managed to get a kiss from Suki earlier when he joined up with them. Like Katara, he drew his boomerang after seeing Naruto but was stopped by Aang as well.

As soon as they were out of the area and Katara tried to help Aang deal with what he still saw as he fault, Naruto replied that blaming himself for what happened was not going to solve anything, what he should do now was save the people there and make the most of it. That led to the Unagi riding incident and that had raised Aang's status in Naruto's eyes.

This was proven true as soon as Aang got back and was hugged happily by Katara as the blonde Shinobi spoke to the young Avatar.

"You've got some serious guts to ride that creature Aang; you've just won yourself some brownie points on my score card. I can see why Avatar Roku wanted me to keep any eye on you until you master the four elements as the new Avatar."

Sokka looked at the blonde male before him and replied.

"You want to tell us who you are first golden head?"

"Golden head huh? That's an odd name to call me you skirt and face-paint wearing dude, what's with the idea of wearing Kyoshi Warrior garb? I thought you were a Water Tribe member or something?"

"I am…I was just trying to make up for looking down on them the first time I met them, namely Suki."

Naruto grinned at that and replied.

"Really? I take it that kiss I saw you two share was her way of accepting your apology huh?"

Sokka gasped and looked at Naruto with disbelief in his eyes.

"You SAW that?"

"Yeah, you're pretty lucky that you got a kiss instead of a slap there, I can wager a guess she's got the hots for you too. Shame she didn't want to join us in this trip, I saw her fight earlier before I dealt with Scarface earlier, she's got some killer moves."

Sokka was about to reply in agreement when he stopped and glared at Naruto.

"Don't get any ideas about Suki."

Naruto grinned at that and replied.

"Relax, I think she's got eyes only for you, and I'm not the kind of guy who gets between two love birds, I'm not that crazy right now. So I can bet you guys have some questions for me?"

Aang nodded and spoke.

"I do, how did you use air against Zuko like that?"

"It's called a Elemental Jutsu, it allows me to use my Elemental affinity chakra as a form of attack when I need it, as well as defense, though I guess that unlike you Avatar, I don't bend the elements."

Sokka looked at Naruto in confusion.

"Hold it, I thought Aang was the last of the Air Nomads, how can you bend Air?"

Katara shook her head at that point and spoke.

"He's not and Air Bender Sokka, Air Benders don't dress like him, nor do they carry weapons like that nor do they have golden hair, blue eyes, and whisker marks, not to mention he's got none of the tattoos that Aang has."

"Good point."

Naruto shook his head at that and replied.

"Would you two please not talk like I'm not here, IDO have ears you know, if you want to know who I am, then ask me."

The three were a bit embarrassed by that and Aang decided to speak first.

"Sorry, so, what is your name?"

"The name's Naruto, Naruto Namikaze Uzumaki, I am a former Hokage of Konoha, a Sannin, and one of the Jinchuuriki."

Sokka then asked.

"What does Hokage mean anyway?"

"It's a title given to the strongest ninja of the village, before you react I want to make it clear that I am not from the Fire Nation and I am no Fire Bender. The title of Hokage translates to Fire Shadow since my village is in the Land of Fire."

Sokka and Katara tensed up at that and it was only when Aang spoke that they calmed down a bit.

"I think he's right guys, he didn't use any Fire Bending when he fought with Zuko earlier and I know that no person in the Fire Nation wears clothes like he does. The fact that there is no person in the Fire Nation who had blue eyes and gold hair kind of adds weight to what he said that he's no Fire Bender. So what does Sannin mean?"

"Sannin means Sage Ninja or Ninja Sage, it's a title given to ninja who are at the level of Kage, I inherited the title after the previous holder, who was my teacher…and godfather died in combat. It's a sore subject that I don't plan on sharing yet okay?"

Katara and Sokka nodded and backed down a bit, they knew the feeling of losing people one cared about more so in Katara's case. Aang also felt the same way as well, having lost all of the people he knew when they came to the Air Nomad Temple, only to find all of the Nomads dead and gone. He then spoke to Naruto once more, hoping to get more answers.

"I wanted to ask this last one, how do you know Avatar Roku?"

Naruto grinned and replied.

"That is going to be a very long story, I hope you guys don't mind, and once it's over, try not to be shocked about what you learned about where I come from, what I can do, and who I really am."

…

In the ship…

"WHO WAS HE?"

Zuko paced back and forth, trying to ponder the mystery of that new arrival who had just used some form of Air Bending that he had not heard about."

Iroh drank his tea gently and replied to his nephew.

"Calm yourself Prince Zuko, this new arrival is a mystery indeed since from what you have described I have my doubts that he is an Air Bender as there are no longer any of them around with the exception of the Avatar."

"But he was able to use Air Uncle! Only Air Benders can do that!"

"But he does not fight like one Zuko, you saw it yourself. No Air Bender dresses in such a fashion, nor has golden hair and blue eyes, nor do they lack the tattoos, and even more telling, is the facts that No Air Bender carries swords or uses Air Bending as a full scale offensive style. While they are quite capable of using Air Bending aggressively, only a rare few of the Air Nomads do so. And no Air bender in recorded history can use chains of energy as of yet."

Zuko nodded as he knew that his uncle was right, there was no way that man who had attacked him was an Air Bender, but how could he use Air like that if he was not one? What were those hand gestures he used before?

He stopped and looked at his Uncle and spoke.

"What am I going to do Uncle, I have no intention on giving up on capturing the Avatar so I can go home, but how do I deal with his new companion?"

"Slowly Zuko, remember, to avoid burning your tongue when drinking hot tea, you must drink the tea slowly so you are able to adapt to the heat as well as the taste. The same can be said for this new person."

Zuko pondered those words and decided to take some time to think, this new person was an unknown factor that he had to think of carefully.

…

To be continued…

…

Author's Notes:

Here's another result of too much coffee and having the chance to get into an anime watching binge. Now I know that there have been MANY stories where the universe of Naruto and the universe of Avatar have been crossover, but this is my version so I have final say on the matter on how this might develop.

…

Now you might be wondering why is it I am using the same prologue, at least a good portion of it from VanDread The Fox right?

The answer is that when I came up with the VanDread The Fox idea, I had originally wanted to make this story as something of a challenge story, and it was not with VanDread, I was going to write the Prologue as the basis of the idea and then have a poll where I will pick the top ten best universes to crossover with my idea of Naruto after he has done his part in his universe and is sent into another.

When I made it, I felt the urge to do a VanDread idea first and well, you know the results of that decision. So this is more attuned to the original idea of the Immortal Orange Hokage that I cooked up a few months before though in this case, we have it hosted in the Avatar world.

…

This story basically takes place when Aang, Katara, and Sokka, leave the South Pole to travel and save the world by helping Aang become the Avatar he is meant to be. In this case, Naruto is going to be more of a support player since I have NO intention of removing Aang, because it would not be Avatar without him in it. He will also help Aang in other ways as well as have an effect on others in the Avatar universe.

…

In this romp, I get to have some changes made to Naruto to better set him into the role which I will reveal later. But he is NOT going to be God-like in this fic, it gives me a headache every time I run into stories like that. I like Naruto the way he is in the anime and manga, not as some God like entity since there's no fun it anymore if he is one since he wins all the time.

In this story he has all he has learned and also some he has developed on his own time as Hokage so you can bet he is a lot different than before, and he can summon Toads this time around unlike in the VanDread idea since Toads the size of houses and mountains in space is just plain weird. Besides, there's not that much room in the Nirvana to house those toads to begin with, and you can bet that they are going to freak the women out, maybe even Dita…

…

Now as for pairings, obviously I am not going to take Katara away from Aang, nor am I going to muck around with the other couples that are officially recognized in the Avatar universe, but that certainly does not mean I am going to let Naruto be alone in this one. I might make some OCs at some point so expect Naruto to have some company and might even add some extra muscle in this fight.

I might make a poll on that and see how this develops, pick the OC template and I'll crank it out okay?

Now this is merely the prologue, I have no plans to expand this yet so I will focus more on my works before I tackle this story since I need to review my knowledge of Avatar if I want to do this.

Bye!


	2. Chapter 2

The Immortal Hokage and the Last Airbender

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or Avatar, so don't try and sue me for them.

Chapter 1

Old friends

( ): Thoughts

…

Naruto looked the place over for a minute longer and then spoke to the others about what they were looking at right now. Though the blonde was directing his thoughts more on the young bald and tattooed youth than the other two as he was the one who had suggested they come here in the first place.

"So that city before us in the mountains is Omashu?"

Aang nodded as he smiled at the city while next to Katara and Sokka, they had arrived in the city of Omashu and it had been some time since he had been in the city, at least a hundred years ago when he hanged out with his old friend Bumi. The wild eyed and red haired kid and him were always hanging out and he recalled the extremely unconventional ways his friend would think and act, which was why he called Bumi a 'mad genius'.

"Yes, it's been a long time since I visited this place and at least it's not changed too much since I was last here. My old friend Bumi lived here and he and I had some very interesting times in Omashu."

Katara smiled at the sight and spoke out her awe.

"Those houses look so…different from those back home."

Sokka summed that up pretty well in his own words.

"How come they aren't melting in the sun?"

Naruto would have looked at the two siblings and asked what was it that they were talking about, but recalled from what he had learned from Avatar Roku about the Water Benders. Since they lived in the poles of the world…which translated to the coldest spots in the world, it would make sense that they lived in igloos and such. Naruto had a hard time picturing that had he not gone to the poles himself on more than one instance back in his world.

This was due to some renegade ninja forces causing some manner of trouble for Koyuki's home and she had her hands full with matters pertaining to rebuilding to dedicating her forces. That was why he and a team were dispatched to deal with them. And that was why he had winter clothing in that mission like before, though a lot thicker as well.

…

As they got ready to enter the city with Aang in the lead of them as it was still a bit of a distance between them and the city gates, Sokka decided to have a chat with Aang while Naruto was apparently busy getting some sort of book from a pouch of his.

"Aang, are you really sure we can trust him?"

Aang was confused for a bit and directed his attention to where Sokka was looking and saw Naruto as he was now writing something in that book of his.

"I do."

"You might want to explain to me why, I mean, he's not exactly from around here and I still get the feeling he's hiding something from us."

Aang had to admit that Sokka did have a point as he recalled the conversation they had before with Naruto once they were clear of Kyoshi Island.

…

Flashback…

As they flew over the sea and heading for a safer location, the blonde began to explain some of the things that would at the very least explain his presence. One such discussion had actually gotten the two siblings a lot more serious about the blonde.

"You're an assassin?"

Naruto nodded at Sokka's question and replied.

"Yeah, I was trained as an assassin, but I have only killed two in my life and they deserved it."

Aang was not the least bit pleased by that, as an Airbender, he was a pacifist by virtue of his upbringing and values and he made that clear to Naruto.

"Why did you say that they deserved to die and why did you kill them?"

Naruto sighed and replied to the question.

"Both of them were utterly merciless criminals and could not be convinced otherwise, the first had no problem with not just killing, but experimenting on the dead and thought nothing to defiling them and bringing the dead back to life. It didn't make things any easier when you count the fact that he had been trained as a healer but used those skills to kill and further his experiments."

Katara spoke at this point with a less than happy look on her face.

"And what about the other one you killed?"

Naruto sighed as he knew that person very well, that person in question was none other than Uchiha Madara, he knew when he fought the man that nothing he would say would change his mind. The man was a criminal and terrorist of the highest order so nothing was going to change his way of thinking no matter how hard he was going to try. And the fact that he was willing to do what he wanted at the expense of everyone else made killing him worth it.

"The man…well, to call him a man is a crime, he was more of a monster…think of him as being the WORST things in humans made into one man. He did so many horrible things, not just to me but to countless other people as well. In fact…he started what would be considered the Fourth Great Shinobi War. Many of my friends risked their lives to fight him along with other ninja forces all over the world to fight him and his dark army…we won, but many lives were lost, all because of one man who could never let go of his hatred and desire to rule the world. And from what I have learned of this…Fire Lord, he is no different than the one I killed."

Naruto was silent for a moment or two and replied.

"I do not relish taking life, even if I am trained to take life, but those two…they had to be stopped, and at least I never took any pleasure in my actions, if I did, then I am no different than them."

Katara was silent at this and then Aang spoke.

"So you are the leader of your…village?"

"Former leader actually, I retired recently and was contacted by Roku and here I am. Let's just say that my meeting with him…was rather unusual."

The two were silent for a while until Sokka spoke.

"So why are you saying that you were sent here by an Avatar named Roku? I may not love the Fire Nation and any news from them is not welcome to me, but why would he ask for your help. And isn't he supposed to be dead?"

Naruto shook his head and replied.

"All I know is that Roku asked me to help keep Aang alive and believe me, I was not really happy with the idea of being asked by a ghost to do this. I just had this dislike for ghosts, but since he was asking me and I was convinced to help him by a relative of mine, I agreed. I gave the position of Hokage to a very good man who I was friends with and had more than enough to qualifications to be Hokage in my place. And after some time, I came to Kyoshi Island, and you guys know the rest."

Sokka then was silent at this as he and his friends looked at their new travel companion, the oldest of the three was sure that there was something that the blonde haired guy was hiding, Katara might call him paranoid but he was not going to change this habit. And with that in mind he decided to ask again if there was anything else he was hiding.

"So why send you alone?"

Naruto raised his eyebrow at that as he had an idea where this was going.

"Why? You thought Aang was going to get a team of ninja to protect him?"

"He is the Avatar after all."

Naruto shook his head and replied.

"Haven't you been listening? Being a Kage means you are one of the strongest ninja in the village, they don't just give you the title, you have to show that you are worthy and you have to earn the right to be even considered Kage material, so a Kage level ninja is the best ninja around, with some exceptions."

(Not to mention the fact I have been trained in Senjutsu, Summoning Jutsu, Collaboration Jutsu, Nature Manipulation, the Fuinjutsu skills of my mother's clan, mastering my father's two signature jutsu, and have old furball as part of it.)

"Besides that, having a large force is going to attract attention. Ninja teams always work in teams of four, a Jonin leader and three Genin or Chunin you know, and sometimes one of them would be a Medic-Nin…"

Katara spoke next to that.

"A what?"

"A ninja trained on medical techniques…like a…field doctor is the best way to put it. And though they are not allowed to fight since they are healers, there are some who can do so and even be poison masters as well if needed. Their knowledge of the body can even be used to kill better, but only if needed and when they have to fight back."

Sokka was surprised a bit and replied.

"A ninja who's a healer? I thought you were all assassins?"

"We are, but we serve as spies, body guards, escorts, and more…it's the ones of us who are mercenaries or renegades who deserve a lot more scrutiny. Those guys wind up as being bandits, raiders, and worse. Most of us ninja serve the leaders of our village who hands the missions, and we serve in the army when we need to when called by the Feudal Lord of our land. We do usually get some rogues every now and then so we have to…deal with them. Anyway, is there anything else you want to ask?"

Katara was the one to speak as she had something to ask about since meeting Naruto. When she heard that he was not from any of the four Bending cultures, she was curious about how women were treated in his world. Katara knew that to some it would be weird, even more so for those of her people the Water Tribes, but she had always disliked the views of gender and having someone outside of all four cultures of bending sounded interesting to her.

"What about the women where you come from?"

"What do you mean by that Katara-san?"

"Are men the only ones who can become ninja?"

Naruto raised an eyebrow at that and smiled a bit as he replied.

"No way, there is no such thing as gender lines when it concerns ninja… both men and women in my homeland are allowed to train to become ninja, we call female ninja as Kunoichi, and I have to say that some of the Kunoichi are MORE dangerous than the men. Heck, before I took the role of Hokage, that title was held by Tsunade Senju, she was one of the original Sannin and considered as one of the strongest Kunoichi in the world and one of the best healers, there were few sicknesses and wounds she could not cure, nor any poison she could eventually create an antidote for. And considering your potential skills Katara-san, you would make a very skilled ninja yourself."

Katara raised an eyebrow at that though she smiled at the fact than there were no gender lines where Naruto came from. That was something that she would have enjoyed if given the chance if she had been able to go there herself.

…

End of Flashback…

Aang nodded at that and replied.

"I can understand where you are coming from with that Sokka, but I still get the feeling we can trust him."

"How's that?"

The young Air Bender was silent for a moment and grinned a bit sheepishly.

"I just do, I can't really explain why I do trust him despite what he might be hiding something from us. He does not send a bad feeling through me right now."

Katara nodded at that and replied.

"I have to agree with Aang on this one Sokka, besides, he must be hiding those things for a good reason."

Sokka sighed and replied.

"Fine, I guess if you two trust him, then there's no reason for me to speak of it for now, but don't expect me to turn my back on him just yet. I still don't trust Golden boy."

That was when Naruto was right behind him and spoke in a deep voice.

"I can hear you very clearly Sokka, you think my ears are just for show?"

Sokka jumped at that and turned around while quickly drawing his boomerang and club in the readiness to fight purely on reflex. He saw Naruto grinning at him and was shocked at how easily the blonde had managed to sneak up on him.

"How the heck did you do that?"

Naruto snickered and replied.

"I'm a ninja remember? I can be VERY sneaky when I need to be. Anyway, I think I need to change clothes, wearing my long coat is going to attract attention, so if you will excuse me."

Naruto then moved away to a nearby pile of rocks and opened up a scroll that he had with him, although he loved wearing his more traditional garb, he knew that he needed to blend in every now and then. That was why he had a change of clothes with him every time he felt that a mission required him to be out of uniform and away from prying eyes. The clothes included a simple gray long sleeved shirt, a Chunin vest of his personal make with armor in it which was made from high quality thick leather and specially made sheets of thin but strong metal. He had this made in his years after getting to the rank of Jonin as he was not one of the ANBU and thus did not have to wear the standard gear. He included a pair of gray cloth covered forearm guards with the same materials underneath. And he changed his pants from black to orange to white as well.

This coupled with a pair of leg guards in the same color as his new clothes and he was complete though he did not ditch his forehead guard. he then joined the others and looked to see Aang, Sokka, and Katara looking at him. He got that look a lot from the others back in Konoha when he changed clothing every now and then. Aang was naturally commenting on that.

"Why'd you change clothes Naruto?"

"Wearing red and black as well as orange might draw attention, and if the Earth Kingdom as you said is at war with the Fire Nation, then seeing me in red and black might attract attention, namely the hostile kind of attention right?"

Katara nodded at that as well and replied.

"He has a point since we all know the Fire nation soldiers use those colors a lot, the only thing we need to worry about now is how to hide Aang."

Sokka replied to that.

"Is that really needed?"

"You'll never know, there might be real trouble and we don't want that force of Fire Nation soldiers finding us do we? So how exactly are we going to disguise Aang?"

"Huh? Why would I need a disguise?"

Katara replied to Aang's question.

"It might be a bad idea for people to find out you're the Avatar Aang, so we do need to disguise you."

"And how can we do that, have me grow a moustache or something?"

…

It took a bit of time but they finally used some of Appa's fur and formed it into a wig and a moustache for Aang to wear. Naruto was trying hard not to laugh at the sight of Aang in that get up, all the guy had to do was act old and decrepit and he passed. That urge was harder to control when Aang began to complain of feeling itchy and even asked how Appa could live like this. They knew bringing Appa was a bad idea and there was no place for the Air Bison to land in the city anyway.

As they headed into the direction of Omashu, Naruto could not help but chuckle mentally to himself as he looked at the three…children he was accompanying. That statement might have sounded weird since he had the look of only being a few years older than them, but that was only his physical appearance and his real age already made him a very old man. Though if what they said about finding Aang in that iceberg was true, then he was WAY older than him, though he was literally on ice for that to happen.

He already managed to formulate thoughts concerning the three as he had taken the time to get used to them and learn what he could.

Aang was certainly different and was rather funny, he was fun loving and had a serious humor streak in him, coupled with his Air Bending skills as well as his other abilities though his other Bending skills needed a lot of work as he needed to master the others according to Roku when he had talked with the ghost from before. He also had to give the young man credit for his stance of not killing since in some ways, it mimicked his own. He however already knew that killing at times had to be done depending on who the person he was fighting with was, and if there was no other choice, and he had no doubts in his mind that Aang would be tested.

He also felt that despite his nature and upbringing, Aang was going to be tested so he was going to have to be ready for that to happen. All he could hope for was that Aang did not let it consume him since it was not the best thing to happen. The fact that he was the Avatar and had the mission to save the world was something that Naruto had to also respect. He might not show it to others but he could tell that Aang had some serious insecurity about his destiny as Avatar, and being a guy barely into his teens only added more weight to the whole mess.

In some ways, it was similar to how he had been when he was the Jinchuuriki and had to deal with the way people viewed him for most of his growing up years. The only difference between him and Aang apart from their powers and appearances was that Aang was someone who was seen as a savior by the world, while he was seen as the jailer of the Kyuubi and very FEW thought of him as one of the children of Destiny, Nagato being the other one.. Unlike Aang, Naruto had been shunned and ignored all his growing up years all because of the Kyuubi inside of him, not to mention having the hatred of the people directed at him. Of course he knew that many suffered when the Kyuubi attacked when Madara took control of the Kyuubi and such wounds were hard to forget.

He however had no doubts in his mind that Aang's return was not going to be easily accepted, he knew first hand that there would be people who might hate him for not being around to help them in the war, and there would be those who might try to use him for their own ends. He had encountered MANY people like that and while some had some valid reasons to a degree, others were not so altruistic despite their twisted logic.

All he could hope for was to keep those kinds of people from driving Aang over the edge or driving him to a dark end. He liked Aang already though he was still unsure on how to view him in battle, he had yet to see Aang fight and he hoped to see a good performance. Maybe he could even spar with him and see how he compared to his long time friends.

…

Katara was obviously the mother figure and big sister of the group and also was not bad looking either, in fact, she was rather attractive with the blue eyes, tanned skin, and well formed features, not to mention that if given time she would have a body that would send heads turning, especially when she got to adult age. She might be way too young for a guy of his real age, but he had no doubt that had he met her when he was still in his teens, he would have looked a lot more at her, and no doubt getting socked for it by Sakura the very second his former team mate and deceased wife saw him looking at Katara, and he knew she would not be alone either. She was the only Water Bender is the whole group and as such, apart from Aang would be able to fight with the elements, and despite the fact that her skills were not up to speed, he had no doubt that once she got serious with her training, she could go a LONG way. And he was not kidding when he said she would make a great ninja on her own accord if given training and time.

He had NO trouble seeing that Aang had a serious crush on Katara as he had caught Aang looking at Katara more than once in the trip, he had said nothing since it was hardly his business, but the chance to have some fun teasing Aang if he caught him eyeing Katara when she was not looking was certain tempting. And he could not fault Aang for said attraction to Katara at all since from what he could gather, she was the very first person he saw when he woke up from that iceberg.

However, he knew that Katara would not always be the sweet and kind hearted girl that she was right now when things went really bad. If there was one thing Naruto learned the hard way, it was at times the seemingly kind hearted women who could be really dangerous when something was there that REALLY managed to get under their skin and ignite their tempers. He was actually looking forward to the time when Katara would show her wild and dangerous side…after all, there was nothing wrong with having a dark side every now and then in your life.

…

Sokka on the other hand was funny in his own way, the guy had a sense of humor that Naruto could easily relate to and had a strong sense of justice in his mind. He had intelligence from the fact that he had made his own weapons by hand, something done every day, but he was lazy as hell and no doubted needed a lot of proper motivation to get himself into high gear. But when he did get the motivation, there was no telling how far he would get. In some ways, Sokka reminded him of his old friend Shikamaru Nara, though unlike his old friend, Sokka HAD a sense of humor and could be easily seen as a funny and good man who had a serious imagination. Shikamaru on the other hand was about as excitable as a sack of dead fish, always saying things were troublesome, and unlike Sokka, didn't think girls were bad, it still amazed Naruto that Shikamaru even got married to that decoder woman in the Konoha archives. How she found him attractive and husband material, he would never be able to find out.

There was a lot of potential in Sokka and Naruto had no doubt that sooner or later, it was all going to be seen, and he was going to see it. Sokka was a warrior in heart and while he did not have skills or experience, he certainly had imagination, determination, and innovation on his side. And if there was one thing he personally learned in his growing up years, those things can really help one go a very long way in the world.

He also had a feeling that when push came to shove, Sokka was not going to go down without a fight and under the right master, he was going to go a very long way in the world. Heck he might very well teach Sokka a few things or two as well if and when he was given the chance. For now however, he knew that Sokka, despite his words would still have some level of trust issues with him and he expected that.

…

As for the two siblings, they might argue and be critical on one another but he would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to see the way they cared for one another. After all they were siblings and no doubt having lost their mother and then having their father move away before would be hard, even though they were part of a family. He wondered if that would have been his own life had been able to have a little brother or sister had his parents been alive. And with him being the oldest, there was no doubt that Sokka would fight tooth and nail to keep Katara safe, though he had no doubt that Sokka would also be watching over guys trying to court his sister like a hawk.

It made him wonder what would have happened had he been in that situation and had a little sister who he had to watch over, and she happened to be a very attractive lady to boot. There would have been no doubt in his mind that he would have a heck of a time if he did have a little sister.

(If my sister was as good looking as our mom, I would have been watching over her like a hawk too. Now I can guess at least how Gaara would act when watching over his sister, never mind the fact that Temari's the oldest of them.)

The blonde chuckled at that image which grabbed the attention of Katara as she turned to face him/

"What's so funny Naruto?"

"Oh, uh, just thinking about something funny Katara, nothing to be worried about."

Sokka looked at him and replied.

"You want to share in the humor?"

Naruto shook his head at that.

"Not today Sokka, anyway how is Aang holding up?"

Sokka turned to show Aang moving about on his staff like an old man and while Naruto had to admit once more that considering his height and stature, Aang could pass for an old man, the twitching of excitement about him was sending him the wrong signals, though it seemed lost to the others. He was still not sure about this place as the only area that came close to Omashu in his mind would have to be Kumogakure due to the fact that it was in the mountains, though the clouds were a bit much.

"He seems to be enjoying himself already."

Aang turned and replied to that.

"Omashu is one of the friendliest cities I know."

Katara and Sokka smiled while Naruto merely looked on, his danger senses already on high alert, this city might be a friendly place to Aang, but he was not going to be lazy in keeping himself ready for anything. And while Aang might find the city friendly, he had no doubt that Aang's memory of the city was not going to be the same as he had been on ice for a hundred years.

That train of thought was proven to be true when they spotted a cabbage peddler getting the third degree by the guards. And when they got closer to see just what was going on before them, it was not long before Naruto had a comment to send to Aang as they watched the guards.

"If this is how friendly they are here in Omashu Aang, I'd hate to see how they are when they get angry."

Aang said nothing as he too was confused as to why the guards were acting like this, they were not like this when he was last here. In fact, he did not recognize any of them as well. It was only when hew recalled that it had been a hundred years since he had been to the city and with that in mind, things must have changed, he only hoped that not everything had changed too much when he had last been here.

They soon witnessed the Guards earth bend the man's cabbage cart away and sent it into the ravine, stating that they were not going to let him peddle rotten cabbages like those in the city of Omashu. Naturally the merchant was very upset and shouted out in despair at the sight of his only source of income get sent into the ground.

"My cabbages!"

Naruto couldn't help but feel some level of sympathy for the man though he knew that had he been his younger self, then he would have had a bit of pleasure in him since before he fulfilled his promise to his mother Kushina to eat more healthy food, he had a loathing for many vegetables and was not the least bit keen on trying even a single one of them. As they moved on, it was not long before the four of them were now being

"Hold it right there, who are you and what brings you all here to the city of Omashu?"

Naruto said nothing as he observed what was going to be the actions of Aang and the others, though he was sure that sooner or later he was going to be the one who was going to be next in the line of questioning from the guards. Aang was quick to move even when one of the guards used Earth Bending to move a boulder over Aang's head and began to berate the guard before him in an old man's voice. Sokka and Katara were worried by that while Naruto merely raised an eyebrow and tried not to snicker.

Soon enough, Aang was able to sway the guards and come up with the weirdest name Naruto had heard in a LONG time.

(What sort of name is that?)

However the name sounded, it seemed that it, coupled with Aang's act was enough to convince the guards that Aang was telling the truth

And sure enough, one of the guards spoke to him.

"And who are you stranger? I've never seen anyone who looks in any possible way like you before in these parts of the Earth Kingdom."

Naruto was quick to reply to that.

"My name is Tatsuki Hayashi…"

Aang was quick on the uptake and spoke next to the guards as well.

"He's the son of a very old friend of mine and he came in the please of his grandfather…who is old like me young man, so I suggest that you don't bother him and let him pass as well."

"All right, but make sure that you all are not going to wander about, we have a lot of things to do here in Omashu, move along."

As they moved, they were quick to tense up when one of the guards suddenly stopped Sokka and held him by the shoulder. Naruto was worried by this and was ready to move if the situation called for action on his part, but what the guard said to Sokka next was enough to stop that idea.

"You're a young and strong man, show some respect for our elders and carry your grandfather's bag."

Aang replied to that being a good idea and tossed Sokka his bag and Naruto could not help himself as he tried not to laugh at Sokka. It seemed that Katara found that to be funny as well, and Aang seemed to find it funny as well, judging by the gleam in his eyes.

Naruto could not help but feel like shaking his head at the way they had just outwitted the Earth Kingdom Guards but that was placed out of his mind when he saw the gates of Omashu open. The gates turned out to be three MASSIVE slabs of stone that were at least a foot and a half thick. That impressed him and the sight that came in front of him added further weight to the whole sight as he and the others walked in.

Unaware that the guard had just spotted Momo's ears pop out of Aang's wig…much to the confusion of the Earth Kingdom Guard who wondered if being out in the sun too long had somehow affected his vision.

…

Once they were on, Aang explained just how the whole mail system of Omashu worked in detail and Naruto had to admit that it was rather innovative. But when he saw a smile on Aang's face, he had a feeling that Aang and his friend Bumi, whoever that was used this delivery system for more than just sending messages here and there.

And when Aang explained what he had in mind, the blonde felt that he was right on the money.

…

Naruto had a bad feeling about this idea, sure it looked fun and he had no truly paralyzing fear of heights, but now that he thought about it, the idea of riding down through a series of tunnels and stations in a cart of stone was not his way of having fun with the fact that something could go wrong. And he was more than willing to make that train of thought obvious as he and the others were now in one of the stations. How the heck they had managed to get in here without getting the attention of the guards escaped him somewhat, but he had no doubt the very second they tried this idea, they were in for it.

"Not to sound like I'm trying to spoil your fun Aang, but are you sure that this is a good idea?"

Aang nodded and Naruto resisted the urge to slap himself at the goofy way Aang was grinning as his way of answering his question, which did little to alleviate his mind. Now he understood just how Iruka and all those other Konoha ninja felt whenever he was doing their pranks and they were trying their best to stop him before he did something really bad.

"It is, once we're done here with one ride, we'll go to the North Pole."

(Usually I don't mind pulling pranks, a trait I got from my mother and all, but riding down a cart of stone and either pissing off a whole city for wrecking their mail system, or slamming hard and becoming a smear on the city walls, houses, and whatnot is NOT my idea of either a prank or fun.)

Katara then replied to that as they climbed up higher and higher.

"It's going to be all right Naruto, this might actually be fun!"

Katara smiled at that and Aang seemed pleased by the sight of the Water Tribe girl smiling, that served to further reinforce Naruto's thoughts that Aang had the hots for Katara. But he could not help but know that sooner or later, Katara was going to regret making that statement.

…

And Naruto was right on the money as he watched the three of them move away and Katara's cries told him that she regretted her words. He then spotted a cart carrying spears following the group and he knew that things had turned from fun to dangerous. The blonde was quick to follow them, using his chakra to give his feet traction and allow him to reach the cart. He used his chakra to hang on to the cart and he was quick to push the cart further away if he could.

But that action was not enough to make the spears go away.

"Oh hell…duck Sokka!"

Naruto's warning was spot on as several of the spears came and he had to move to the side with using the same training he had taken to master his Sage mode to hold on the side while Sokka ducked and Katara was about ready to drop as well. Aang was quick to see what was about to happen and he spoke.

"I'm on it!"

Naruto was thankful that his chakra control was better off as Aang began to move the cart quickly and sent them away from the path of the spear cart. But that also sent them off the tunnel and they hit several roofs. Sokka, Aang, and Katara looked to see Naruto managed to somehow hold himself on the cart while standing up.

"How the heck are you doing that?"

Naruto replied seriously.

"Now is NOT the time Sokka!"

Aang was cheering away as they moved through the city on the roofs of houses, and Naruto knew that the city's inhabitants were going to be really pissed. Their cart smashed in between a group of Earth Benders who were no doubt part of the military and naturally they were no doubt going to be the ones after them once this joyride was over. They soon landed on another tunnel and soon things were getting out of hand as he positioned himself on the back of the cart while standing over Sokka.

Katara then cried out to Aang.

"Aang! We need to move away from here! Use your Air bending!"

"Right! We can move much faster!"

Naruto then replied with some sarcasm at that as Aang's Airbending move made the cart move even faster.

"Great going faster will really help us…by turning us into a faster moving disaster."

Naruto's words were right on target as the speed of the cart was now making it go at break neck speeds. Naruto was tempted to use his Senjutsu to summon Nature chakra to stop them once he grabbed something. But he shot down that idea since doing so at this speed was going to possibly catapult them out and smash them hard into something. And considering how fast they were going, odds were it was going to hurt…at least him since he was quite used to that and his Senjutsu could help him, but for Aang and the others…that was not an option.

They soon slammed through another area and thought they avoided disaster when an Earth bender moved a cart away, only to have another appear as the man made another one appear. They were smashed into it and were tossed away while reaching yet another drop.

They were soon in the air and Naruto knew that things had really gone off the deep end, he then spotted Aang use his Air Bending to get the cart below them and slow down long enough to get them all back into it without trouble. He however decided to use his mother's chakra chain technique and formed a kunai blade on the end and used it to stab the cart and yank himself to it. Once he was there and the others were in, he used his chakra to stick himself on the cart once more.

Their little trip soon had them causing even more chaos in Omashu, one such action included smashing through a man's window and smashing the jar he was working on. As soon as they busted out the other side, Aang cried out to the man who's work they trashed.

"SORRY!"

"I doubt that sorry is going to cut it Aang!"

Naruto was happy that he managed to hold on for as long as he could but as soon as they were sent off the tunnel they were sent through a building and when they came out, he watched Momo try to avoid being clawed up by a seriously whiskered cat like creature with the lemur pushing it away and now they were sent down off the roof of a building. He looked down and spotted a cart and the same cabbage merchant from before.

(What the? How the heck did that guy get his cabbage cart into the city?)

Naruto had no time to ask that question out loud as the cart smashed the cart and the man screamed out at them.

'MY CABBAGES!"

As they were surrounded by the guards and their weapons aimed at them, Naruto could not help but speak to Aang who's disguise was now a tattered mess and not much use anymore for what they were about to get into.

"I think we just wore out our welcome here."

…

In the Throne-room…

Naruto looked at the King of Omashu and could not help but feel a bit unsettled around the old man. He had a weird face and his hair resembled a pair of pyramids of white sticking out on the sides of his head, and he has the usual marks of old age. Despite the look he had, the blonde had a feeling that this king was not someone who was the kind to be looked down on, something about him was different. The guy might act like the proverbial loose cannon in the brain department, but he knew that things can be deceiving.

What the king then said once the merchant was done demanding he and the others were to be executed made Naruto all the more curious when asked by the high ranking officers what he would want done to them.

After all, who in their right minds would make the announcement that those who were to be punished be thrown a feast?

…

In the dining hall…

Naruto looked at the large amount of food that was there on the table and while he had to admit that the spread of food was delicious looking and certainly smelled wonderful, the sheer amount and quality of the food was more than enough to raise his wariness. No one goes through the trouble of making this much food without an ulterior motive behind the whole thing. He and the others were sitting on one side and while he was being tempted by the foods before him, he was still able to focus on trying to find out what was going.

Aang was asked by the king about he came from and Aang replied that he came from a place called Kangaroo Island, Naruto had NO idea where that was or what the heck kangaroos were, but he could easily see that the King was not buying it. After a few more discussions, the king was about to retire, or at least give the impression that he was when he suddenly turned and tossed something at Aang.

Naruto's battle tested and hardened reflexes kicked in at that exact moment and he quickly drew out a kunai from his hidden pouch. He had plans to cut down the object thrown by the king at Aang but just as he was about to take the weapon, he was surprised to see that the projectile was something that was hardly a weapon.

(A… roasted chicken leg? That's no weapon…unless…)

Naruto's train of thought was right on the money as Aang reflexively used his Air Bending abilities in that exact moment to catch the chicken leg. That did it and both he, Katara and Sokka knew it when the king replied at the sight.

"Well now…it seems we have an Air Nomad in our midst…and not just any Air Nomad…but the Avatar himself."

Naruto finally spoke what he felt to everyone in earshot, namely his companions.

"We are so busted."

It was not long before the guards swarmed the place, but Naruto was quick to react and knocked out the first pair coming at him, He blocked a downward strike with his right forearm, and lunged to ram his fist into the guard's stomach and then followed that with a double palm strike. The second guard came at him and he managed to block the attack from the guard's blade and kneed him in the groin. But before he could do anything else, one of the guards used Earth bending to grab him by the feet and before he could act, the other guards surrounded him, Aang, Sokka, and Katara.

The elderly king looked at them all and gave Naruto a long look as he spoke.

"You fight well for a foreigner, and your fighting style is different."

"I've heard that before."

"I bet you have, but since I have your companions as…guests, I suggest you calm down my golden haired friend."

Naruto gritted his teeth and relaxed himself and replied.

"Fine…you've got us your highness…so what now?"

Naruto did not have long to find out…

…

As he, Sokka, and Katara were being taken away to the challenge areas, Naruto looked at the crystal like substance growing on his hand, he could have easily broken free and fought the guards off to help the others the very second they had been taken away earlier with the exception of Aang, but he had a feeling that doing so was not a good idea. He was not afraid at all but there was something about this whole thing that made no sense to him. Knowing the Avatar was among his people should have been a good deal of news for the old king, but he took it…casually. No one knew about Aang before they came here…so how did this man act as if he expected it and did not mind having Aang in his home city? And why was it that he did not seem bothered by the fact that Aang was the last of the Air Nomads?

There was also the fact that he was placing Aang through tests to let him leave, why let Aang leave when he could be an aid in the war with the Fire Nation? Why place Aang into something like this when they had other matters to deal with right here and right now?

(There's something going on here, and I can bet that the old man is the one behind the whole thing.)

…

Naruto found out that he was right, apparently the King of Omashu had been preparing a series of tests for someone and despite how odd it sounded, these tests were meant entirely for Aang. This made him even more curious as to what was going on, the tests that Bumi had lined up were actually somewhat similar to some of the training he had taken when he was still in the Academy.

One such test had Aang in a large underground cavern where the king had his lunch box key under a waterfall that was roaring over a stalactite. The blonde could bet that getting the key was not going to be a cakewalk for Aang even as the Avatar, the water rushing down would make it hard to reach the key above and below, and the smooth slippery surface of the rock formation meant getting a grip would be bad news for Aang.

(This test is more on the mental aspect, how to get the key without getting into the waterfall…this guy might seem crazy…but it could be just an act. He's smarter than he looks and no doubt he's an Earth Bender like his people. He's making Aang think outside the box…wait a minute. Does that mean that he's someone who knows Aang?)

Naruto then tried a slight test out of sight range of everyone and what he got answered his mental question easily.

(I see…well then, I guess there's no reason for me to worry at all, just let Aang figure all this out on his own.)

It was not long before Aang finally finished the first test by removing a stalactite top and then used it as a spear while using his Air Bending to move aside the water. The stone spear was able to hook the key, take it away from the stand it was on and send it to the king. But Naruto doubted that this was the only test this king had in mind.

The next test involved getting the pet of the king for a kiss and petting session, the creature looked harmless enough, though it was the weirdest looking rabbit he had ever seen in his life. But then the a massive and less cuddly version was now chasing Aang, it was only when Aang figured out that the massive creature trying to catch him was actually the king's pet and called it Floppsy of all things. As he looked at the sight of the massive ape like creature being cuddled by the old man, he could not help but try not to laugh, he had to see how this was going to end.

It was not long before the last test was in an arena and Aang was supposed to choose his opponent, two dangerous and skilled looking gladiators came out to flank the king on either side. Naruto was quick to guess the real test here, Aang had to choose his opponent wisely and not be fooled by appearances alone, he knew that to be true due to his own profession as he had met people who looked harmless at first, but turned out to be rather dangerous as well.

Aang chose the King and Naruto could not help but shake his head as the King then began to act a lot differently and revealed a hell of a muscled form underneath the purple robes. And sure enough the old man revealed his prowess as an Earth Bender as he was quick to send Aang into the ring and soon the fight began between the two. Aang tried using his usual Air Nomad techniques of evasion, but the King knew of it and replied that Aang had to strike him sooner or later.

(He's right…Aang has to strike soon, but I doubt the king is going to make that easy by any means.)

Aang found that out easily enough as the King's skills in attacking with Earth bending also meant that his defensive skills were just as effective. Aang could not attack directly and it was when he was able to force the king to defend from his own attack. And as soon as he was able to scale it up by making a tornado to send the next massive attack back at the king, he closed in...only to find him and the king underneath a massive boulder. Naruto smirked a bit, this situation had changed, if the king tossed the boulder aside, Aang had a clean shot at him, and if he tried to squash Aang, then he was going to be hit too. The old man conceded and soon went back to where they were. Aang was ready for them to be freed, but not before the King mentioned that he had answer one question.

Aang was less than happy and replied.

"That's not fair! You said if I passed your tests you would let my friends go free!"

"Ah, but what's the point of tests if you don't learn anything?"

Sokka was not the least bit comfortable by this and replied.

"Oh come on!"

The king was unfazed by that and replied.

"Answer this one question and I will set your friends free…what is my name?"

Naruto couldn't help but smirk at this as the King went back to the throne room, he already knew the king's name but kept silent as he decided to let Aang figure it out on his own. Aang himself was surprised by that question as he had not expected that of all things. Sokka tried to give the name but Naruto was not going to say anything yet, this was Aang's game.

And after Katara gave him some hints, Aang finally got it.

…

The group was now back in the throne room and the king was wearing the very same robes as before. Aang faced him while he, Sokka, and Katara were still having the crystals around him. It was here that. Aang then spoke to the King at this moment.

"I answered your question the same way I solved your tests, like you said a long time ago that I had to open my mind to the possibilities…"

The King began to laugh happily at it as Aang also smiled as he and the others looked on.

"Bumi, you're a mad genius."

The two friends hugged and Bumi commented on Aang not changing a bit, and after freeing him, Sokka, and Katara from the crystals, Bumi revealed that the crystals were actually rock candy. The two siblings commented on the discovery of the king as Bumi, Aang's old friend and after that, Bumi told Aang what he had to do in order to help save the world, master the four elements, and deal with Fire Lord Ozai, and when he did Bumi hoped that he would think like a mad genius. And stating that he was in good company with his friends and Momo as well as he was going to need their help in what was to come.

Naruto then spoke to Aang as he decided to reveal his own secret.

"You know, I figured out that he was Bumi before you began to figure out how to beat his tests Aang. You could have too if you had seen the signs and looked at the clues."

That got the attention of Aang and the others, they had only figured out that the crazy king was Bumi himself, yet Naruto had figured it out long before Aang did.

Bumi looked at Naruto with a curious eye and spoke.

"So how did it take for you to figure out that I was Aang's old friend Bumi before Aang did?"

Naruto then answered that question.

"The very second you allowed us to have a feast, you acted normally enough at first to those who were not paying attention as a mad king. But I know for a fact that no one does those things if they did not have an ulterior motive, and I noticed that you did not seem curious about Aang's origins due to his clothes and tattoos that are only seen on Air Benders. And when you revealed that he was the Avatar, you then gave me another clue."

" You reacted very casually when you revealed Aang's true origins as an Air Nomad and the Avatar, unlike your officials who I have no doubt thought that the Nomads were all dead and the Avatar was gone and instead of being awed by meeting the Avatar, you acted like it was like meeting an old acquaintance after so long That meant that you KNEW of Aang and his life as an Air Nomad and met him as well in the past as only Katara and Sokka knew that he was the Avatar since they met him only a few weeks before. And the tests were another clue since those were made to make Aang think in a different manner than he normally would to solve them. I recalled what Aang mentioned about you when you both were young, so it made sense that it was you all along."

"But the most telling clue I got was when I secretly scrapped my tongue on the crystals without anyone looking, I found out they were rock candy in that instant so I knew that you had no intention of harming me, Sokka, and Katara. You made it sound like jennamite was a lot more dangerous than it actually was to make Aang act seriously in these tests, or am I wrong?"

Bumi began to smile and then laughed again while Aang was impressed along with Sokka and Katara. As soon as he was done the aged friend of Aang spoke to him.

"You have an excellent ally in your golden haired friend Aang, you should heed advice from him should he give it. At any rate, heed what I have said to you about what you have to do."

"I will Bumi, and now I have a challenge for you."

…

As he, Katara, and Sokka watched Aang and his old friend Bumi do the very same thing they had enjoyed in their younger years. Only this time, they were together again though Bumi was the physically oldest of the pair, and with him on the tram, there was no doubt that they were not going to get into too much trouble this time around. He shook his head at the sounds of both Aang and Bumi crying out in happiness at being able to do this after so long.

Naruto had to admit that it looked kind of fun as well but he passed and so did Sokka and Katara as well and he could not help but laugh at the sight before him.

"I have to admit that the whole thing looks fun, but only when I am looking at it a fair distance away."

Katara and Sokka nodded as Aang and Bumi continued on their wild ride through the city's mailing system. Naruto had no doubt that there would soon be more to come and with that in mind, he decided to look out into the sun and the sky, enjoying the sight for all that it was worth.

That is until they heard a crash and a certain merchant cried out.

"MY CABBAGES!"

Naruto could not help but look on in confusion as he heard that.

(Again…how the heck did he get a new cart and new cabbages?)

…

To be continued…

…

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the delay, had a lot of things to deal with in real life and reading new stories and exploring new ideas for stories.

Well, we now have a new chapter for this story after a very long time. I know this might be a bit long since I worked on this so it's bit rusty and needs to be tested out. But I am going to do what I can to see if I can get this story back up to speed and make it work. This story has been on ice for a while so I decided to thaw it up and see if I can bring this story back to life.

I have decided to at least solidify Naruto's role in the story to a degree so everyone gets a feel for what he is going to do be doing in the Team Aang as it were, and that is as a supporter of the team, he will take a more active role once we get to the more serious battles and when facing more dangerous opposition. Naruto did not reveal EVERYTHING of himself as he only gave them the basics and not the whole story, he made sure to keep it hidden for now, and only Aang knows the truth, though in a very vague sense through the fact that Roku is spiritually linked with him and that will allow him to sense things that can evade the senses of the others.

On the next chapter once I get this cranking again, we are going to have a bit more bonding time and Naruto gets a lot more familiar with the world he is in. Don't expect him to be flirting with Katara as he knows that Aang and Sokka would not like it. He will however decide to teach Katara how to defend herself if she cannot use her Water Bending abilities. The reason for this is when I read Katara's profile, she had excellent acrobatic skills and she is highly agile but that is about it, I intend to rectify that on the next chapter once I am done updating a few of my other stories.

On Naruto's case when it concerns his relationships that are in the possible romantic case, I will state that I am still working on figuring out what to do in that department. But what I can say is that I will be working on it and develop it once this story is now on the road to being updated and given a lot more filling.

The female OCs I have in mind for Naruto to meet later on in the stories don't always have to be romantic and I have my plans for them as well as their back stories. This way I will make sure that everything is squared away before they finally meet the blonde in question.

…

On the case of what I am updating next, I will be updating Naruto Dragon Ascendant to answer the question on who was it that Naruto and the others had brought into Konoha. I still have a hard time understanding why everyone thought it was Link from Legend of Zelda. All because he carries an ocarina, everyone thinks that the person is Link which makes little to no sense to me.

This is not a crossover with Legend of Zelda since if it was, then I would have made it so from the very beginning of the story.

…

With that out of the way, I hope to update this soon, and along with that, I have some plan sto finally update my Fallout New Vegas story as well. I have been meaning to do that for a while now and it would be a good chance to do so. Though I might decide to hold it off for a while since I have to work on some things on the various categories so I might not update that story in question so don't get your hopes up.

Before I do these things however, I will be doing a few things such as Beta reading for a few fellow writers and making a request for one of the said writers. I am not saying anything more on the matter so don't ask, I will however state that this will mean that it will be a while before I finally work on said fics so don't ask me when I will be updating.

Once I am done with this time period, I will be taking a break before moving to deal with my Naruto Dragon Ascendant story.

…

See you all soon!


	3. Not a chapter

Hell readers, I know that normally you would be expecting a new chapter update, but this is obviously not one of them. I right now I have good news and bad news.

Bad news first since it has to be squared away so we can get to the good news. Just yesterday afternoon here in my side of the world, I received the scan warning of my PC that my hard drive has finally become bad and failure is imminent. I have been hearing weird noises from my HD for some time and after having it diagnosed, my cousin finally confirmed that it is reaching the end of it's ability to function. And now that day has come so now I have to either have it replaced or repaired.

And considering the fact that it's an older HDD model, I am not sure if it can be repaired, I will ask my cousin if he can try to repair it but if it is not salvageable then I have no other option but to buy a new one. And considering my family's current finances which is not too good but not too bad either, it might take a while. So that means my PC is dead in the water

Now the good news, I have managed to back up all my files prior to the collapse of the HD in my USB devices so it's not a total loss. I will find a way to upload all my recently updated non Halo files into the site and continue there until I solve my hard drive problem. If that works out, then I will be able to still update my work so it will not be long before I continue. So if you see a new update after this message is sent, then you will know that I am still alive and kicking.

Just to be clear, all Halo stories are still on ice so don't ask me about them. I will unfreeze them when I have done what I want with the non Halo ones. And the non Halo stories will still be updated whenever possible so don't worry about them.

…

I know this is not what anyone wants, but it was bound to happen eventually so I have to make the most of it.

See you all soon.


End file.
